Transportation of children in car seats: do Ukrainian drivers comply with established rules?
Kyiv • UNN
Since 2019, Ukraine has tightened responsibility for violating child transportation rules. Over 10,000 violations have been recorded in a year, despite fines of UAH 510-850.
Since 2019, Ukraine has increased liability for violating child transportation rules. The fine for such a violation is 510 hryvnias, and for a repeated violation, it is 850 hryvnias. As Oleksiy Biloshytskyi, the first deputy head of the Patrol Police Department, told UNN, statistics show that drivers have not started neglecting the rules more often, but they have not become more responsible either.
Fine for not having a car seat: how many cases were recorded this year
As Biloshytskyi reminded, according to traffic rule 21.11, drivers are prohibited from transporting children under 150 cm tall in vehicles without using child restraint systems that allow the child to be fastened with seat belts provided by the design of that vehicle; on the back seat of a motorcycle and moped, except for:
- vehicles carrying out regular, regular special, and irregular passenger bus transportation, provided that the speed limits established by the rules are observed;
- specialized sanitary vehicles of emergency (ambulance) medical aid brigades, operational vehicles of the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Police, State Emergency Service, State Border Guard Service, Security Service, State Protection Department during the performance of their urgent official duties.
That is, to ensure the safety of a child in a car, it is necessary to always use child restraint systems. This concept includes: car seats, boosters, and car bassinets for infants
He noted that administrative liability in the form of a fine is provided for violating the rules for transporting children:
- for the first time within a year - in the amount of 510 hryvnias;
- repeatedly within a year - in the amount of 850 hryvnias.
As reported by the Patrol Police Department in response to a UNN request, police officers of the territorial units of the National Police of Ukraine have issued 10,574 resolutions under part ten of Article 121 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (violation of child transportation rules - ed.), and from December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2025, 9,804 administrative offense reports.
At the same time, Biloshytskyi reported that as of December 22, police officers issued 10,324 resolutions for violating sub-paragraph "b" of paragraph 21.11 of the traffic rules between December 1 and December 21.
Real safety: why transporting children without a car seat is a critical violation
The most common violation remains the transportation of children without child restraint systems if the child's height is less than 150 cm. It is also not uncommon for parents to hold children in their arms. Or the same incorrect use of child restraint systems, for example: the child is in the seat but not buckled up, the seat belts are not fastened or are too loose, or the car seat, booster, or bassinet is not properly secured in the car
According to him, there are also cases of child restraint systems not matching the child's height or using a booster or regular belt without a car seat.
You have probably also noticed many times when parents transport children in the front seat. And here it is worth reminding that children under 3 years old are allowed to be transported in the front seat. And only if the child system is installed against the direction of travel and the front airbag is turned off. Therefore, the characteristics of the child restraint system must correspond to the weight and height of the child being transported in it. And children must be in a buckled position, not just sitting in them
In addition, he emphasizes that patrol officers necessarily take into account not only the presence of a restraint system but also its correct use. If there is a seat, but the child is not buckled in it, the belts are loose, or the seat is installed in violation of the instructions - this is considered a violation of the rules for transporting children.
You know, the numbers say that the situation has not changed: more than 10,000 violations last year, and the same this year. But behind each of these numbers, I see not just a fine, but a potential danger to a child. Statistics show that drivers have not started neglecting the rules more often, but they have not become more responsible either. Unfortunately, many still perceive a child restraint system as a means to avoid a fine, although in reality, it is an important step in protecting a child during sudden braking or an accident
Taxis and transporting children without a car seat
As Biloshytskyi noted, patrol officers do not often record cases of carriers lacking car seats. "Both the carrier and the taxi driver have the right to refuse a ride to such passengers. They understand the risks: if an accident occurs, the driver who agreed to transport without a seat will be held responsible. But the main thing here is not even fines, but health. If there is no car seat, the risk of injuring a child during an accident increases significantly. Therefore, it is very important that customers, when calling a taxi, immediately warn the operator that they are traveling with a child. This is primarily a matter of safety, and only then - responsibility," Biloshytskyi summarized.